Calibrated screens don't look the same

[samfaulkner]

I am running 2 (early 08) Mac Pros in my studio but try as I might I can't get the two Eizo screens to look the same.

1st MP is 2 x3.2GHz Quad Core with 32 GB Ram and ATI Radeon HD4870 connected via DVI to an Eizo CG211 (Coloredge display).

2nd MP is 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad Core with14 GB Ram and NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT connect via DVI to an Eizo S2231W (Flexscan display).

The CG211 runs ColorNavigator, Eizo's in built calibration system, (described as hardware calibration) using a Datacolor Spyder 3 sensor.

The S2231W does not have hardware calibration and uses the same sensor Datacolor Spyder 3 and Datacolor's owner software Spyder3Elite 4.0.2.

I am pretty confident that I am running through the calibrations correctly. The ColorNavigator is idiot proof and I have created a similar target on the other machine Temp 6500K, Gamma 2.2, Brightness 90.

The Spyder3Elite is bringing back consistent results, consistent with previous calibrations, but just not the same as the other screen.

In general I would say that the FlexScan Spyder3Elite screen looks warmer (less blue) than the ColorEdge Screen.

They are next to each other on a long workbench so are under fairly similar lighting conditions.

I have spoken with Native Digital (UK) who sold me both screens, with Eizo and ColorData, but everyone is fairly unhelpful blaming each other's products and sometimes the graphics cards.

Anyone got any thoughts on this?

Am I wrong to expect the screens to look the same?

[tho_mas]

the two screens will never match exactly.
however they should match good enough to work with (and the CG221, of course, is the one for color critical work).

I'd reset the S2231 and adjust the white point manually in the hardware (i.e. the RGB chanels) so that it matches the white point of the CG221 visually.
For adjusting the white point open a big white image and maybe a greyscale, too. Get rid of any color on the display while doing this (i.e. fancy desktop backgrounds or so...).
When the white point of the S2231 matches that of the CG221 calibrate the S2231 to the "native" whitepoint... in other words: to the white point you've just adjusted manually.

[peterurban]

Which OS version do you use on both machines?

[shewhorn]

Your problem is that you're using two different pieces of software and nor are you using one of those screens as the white point standard. The screens are never going to match. The mere fact that you're using two different software applications to profile your screens eliminates the possibility of that happening because different software will often interpret the same numbers coming from a colorimeter or spectrophotometer differently.

Let's say I have two NEC PA241Ws and a Spyder 3. If I use Color Eyes Display Pro to create a profile on one screen, and then Datacolor's software to profile the other screen and setting both packages to 6500ºK, 110 cd/m^2 with a gamma of 2.2 you're going to have two different profiles.

Ideally you should be using the same software to profile both screens. When you profile the second screen you can't rely upon entering a color temperature or color point to match the screens, you need to set it by measuring the white point of the first screen. Most calibration and profiling packages have this capability.

As you have two Eizo screens you might want to download a demo of Color Eyes Display Pro as it supports DDC/ci communication with Eizo screens. You'd be using the same piece of software to profile both monitors.

Even then it still may not be an exact match due to differences in the panel used, how the backlighting is implemented, etc.

Cheers, Joe

[WombatHorror]

I am running 2 (early 08) Mac Pros in my studio but try as I might I can't get the two Eizo screens to look the same.

1st MP is 2 x3.2GHz Quad Core with 32 GB Ram and ATI Radeon HD4870 connected via DVI to an Eizo CG211 (Coloredge display).

2nd MP is 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad Core with14 GB Ram and NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT connect via DVI to an Eizo S2231W (Flexscan display).

The CG211 runs ColorNavigator, Eizo's in built calibration system, (described as hardware calibration) using a Datacolor Spyder 3 sensor.

The S2231W does not have hardware calibration and uses the same sensor Datacolor Spyder 3 and Datacolor's owner software Spyder3Elite 4.0.2.

I am pretty confident that I am running through the calibrations correctly. The ColorNavigator is idiot proof and I have created a similar target on the other machine Temp 6500K, Gamma 2.2, Brightness 90.

The Spyder3Elite is bringing back consistent results, consistent with previous calibrations, but just not the same as the other screen.

In general I would say that the FlexScan Spyder3Elite screen looks warmer (less blue) than the ColorEdge Screen.

They are next to each other on a long workbench so are under fairly similar lighting conditions.

I have spoken with Native Digital (UK) who sold me both screens, with Eizo and ColorData, but everyone is fairly unhelpful blaming each other's products and sometimes the graphics cards.

Anyone got any thoughts on this?

Am I wrong to expect the screens to look the same?

are they both wide gamut?

[nilo]

the two screens will never match exactly.
however they should match good enough to work with (and the CG221, of course, is the one for color critical work).

I'd reset the S2231 and adjust the white point manually in the hardware (i.e. the RGB chanels) so that it matches the white point of the CG221 visually.
For adjusting the white point open a big white image and maybe a greyscale, too. Get rid of any color on the display while doing this (i.e. fancy desktop backgrounds or so...).
When the white point of the S2231 matches that of the CG221 calibrate the S2231 to the "native" whitepoint... in other words: to the white point you've just adjusted manually.

Thank you so much for that advice! I did not occur to me know till now that the native white point is only the state where the monitor is now. Telling the calibration/profiling software to use the native white point, therefore means that I can visually calibrate the white point and the software won't change that. Easy and logic. Thank you! I too have a s22332 to get to get close to a PA241w.